The Joys and Disappointments of Life
by SilverSwirls
Summary: You could feel as small as a grain of rice at one moment, while feeling as big as a skyscraper the next. Sometimes you have it all planned out, but life has a habit of completely throwing you off and completely ruining everything. Even though it seems like it's against you most of the time, would you really change how life works? (Full summary inside along with OC information.)
1. Game Night

**Game Night**

 **Summary:** It's team Dungeons weekly game night, and as always Masamune takes things just a bit too seriously. While Toby and Masamune engage in a rather heated game of Scrabble, Zeo seems to reflect on a certain memory from their past. (Friendship/humor)

Zeo's face couldn't seem to get any more annoyed as he listened to Masamune's boisterous chatter from across the table. Before them was the night's game bored all set up, pieces already scattered about it. The bowls, once filled with popcorn, were now almost empty thanks to Masamune's stomach, which Zeo swore it was never ending at this point. Outside the busy life of New York continued on, but inside of apartment the warm atmosphere was all the boys seemed to want at the moment. Beyblades had long been forgotten, whatever battle Masamine had declared against Zeo had been temporarily forgotten as well when Toby reminded them of the weekly tradition that was game night.

Though somewhat childish to some, game night had always been a big part in the boy's friendship. Ever since childhood they had gotten together to spend time together without the usual distraction of bey battles. Even before meeting Masamune, Zeo and Toby had held up this tradition. One of the first things the three did together once reuniting after the World Championships was bust out the dusty boxes that held these old memories for them. Sitting at the dining table for the first time in such a long time and destroying each other at Uno had brought what would be the first of countless enjoyable night for the three friends.

Though these childhood memories were far from forgotten in all three of their minds, Zeo seemed to be the only one thinking back on them this night. Scrabble was by far one of his least favorite games, but the last time they had all played together had been just before Masamune left and Toby was still the hospital. Though a nice memory, it also brought a sense of bitterness at the same time.

 _It had been a rainy day, and Zeo, as always had been at the hospital with Toby all day. Masamune was late, again. At this very moment Toby was sitting in his room, relaxing and watching the rain fall from the sky and splash onto the window. Zeo had stepped out into the hall with watering eyes, Toby still wasn't getting any better and there was nothing he could do about it. The younger's shoulders shook slightly as he silently let it all out, he hadn't cried over Toby in a while, preferring the keep it all in usually. He grit his teeth, he didn't want Toby to hear him, to know that he was scared._

 _Then he heard the wet squeak of sneakers running down the hospital halls, skitting to a stop in front of him. Looking up Zeo saw a sheepish smile gracing Masamune's features. "Man, sorry i'm late! Huh? what 's wrong?"_

 _Zeo looked down, eyes filled to the brim with warm tears. "Toby's still not getting better. I don't understand." Masamune stood for just a moment, taking in what Zeo had said before entering the hospital room._

" _Hey Toby! Good to see you, sorry I'm late." He grinned, approaching the bed, pulling out a game box from his bag. "Look I brought a Scrabble for game night, remember it's tonight? This was all my parents had around the house." Zeo had walked into the doorway, eyes still red and slightly wet as he rubbed one._

 _Toby looked over, grinning, "come on Zeo, we never miss a game night!"_

 _They had played until Masamune and Zeo had been forced to go home after visiting hours ended. They had temporarily forgotten about the terrible thing happening to Toby, but unfortunately, as they walked out together, Masamune had admitted that he would be leaving the next day for Japan. Zeo hadn't gone home after that, instead staying in the rain and just thinking, walking to the hospital one more time, and eventually leaning against the building across from it with a small cry, eventually being approached by that man, Ziggurat._

"Masamune, I don't think that's a word." Toby observed as he looked at the poorly spelt word now on the game board. One of the seemingly most boring games had been brought out for the night; Scrabble. Despite Masamune's protests about playing such a lame game, they had been here for well over an hour playing their second round. Toby had one the first, and to everyone's surprise, even himselves, Masamune was currently on track to win. Zeo blinked, shaking off the old memory. He'd been sure that would've been the last night they all played together, one of the last nights with toby, but now they were here, back together and playing the same game they had that night everything changed.

"I'm pretty sure that's a word Toby, no need to try and stop my soon to be winning streak because you can't catch up." Masamune waved it off, causing both Zeo and Toby to share and eyeroll. Light rain had begun to tap against the dark windows, the warm light of the lap engulfing the boy's dining room as they went on. Zeo watched as Toby and Masamune went on to play on their own, getting a bit more competitive than the game surely called for, as Zeo had stopped taking his turn all together. Instead he watched with a small smile and almost sad gleam in his eyes and a smile as he thought about the memory again and how happy he felt to have his two best friends back. "Wow, I didn't know you knew so many big words Masamune." Toby spoke, only half joking as he'd grown somewhat bitter with losing at the game he always won at.

"Hey!" Masamune shouted, "don't say that when you;ve lost so poorly!"

"Oh get over yourself Masamune, were playing Scrabble!" Toby huffed, leaning back in his chair as Masamune had begun his victory gloating as he'd won the game. "Hmm? Is something wrong Zeo?"

Zeo laughed a bit, lifting a hand to rub a slightly eye tearing up eye. "No, everything couldn't be more perfect right now."

Okay, this story is going to be a little different from what I've ever done for a few reasons. For one, there is no real plot. What I mean by this is that I don't what to write something so plot heavy right now, so most of the chapters will be based on small ideas I have, or prompts. The genre for these chapter will probably bounce all over the place as well. I came up with this idea and decided to go with it because I wanted to write some different things inbetween working on my main story a the moment. I would like to write more fluffy romance and such, stuff that isn't really something big in Discord's eclipse or my other story at the moment. To say the least this is meant to be a fun exercise for me to work on in my spare time between other updates. That being said I do still plan to put as much effort and work into these as my other works.

Onto the issue of OCs, I would love to accept them! As always I really enjoy writing with OCs, and would love to include more than just my own in these mini stories. The form is quite simple, as there isn't a lot I really need to know right away, maybe once I start writing something with them I may ask a few more questions, but other than that it's rather short and can be found on my profile. Since this is a laid back and non action filled story, you may submit as many as you like, and there is no real time limit that you can send them. You could send one in months from now and I'd probably still be pretty excited to write a mini story with your character and their love interest, or whatever happens to be the plot for them.

I hope my idea isn't confusing in any way? It's pretty simple in my mind, but if their are any questions or confusions, i'd be happy to answer them. And some quick clarification, I will not only be writing with OCs, as canon characters will have their own as well. There is not real update schedule either, as this is a fun side project to work on when I have time/inspiration between my main fic. On that last note, the OC form is below if you just want to take a quick look at it, but it will be on my profile as well for easy copy and paste.

Oh! One more thing I should mention. If you send in an OC, I will use them more than just one chapter/prompt. They'll be used a much as I think of possible idea for them or find proper prompts that could pertain to them. Also please do send your OCs via PM as well.

Name:

Age:

Personality:

Appearance:

Casual wear:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Dreams/ambitions:

Crush: (Not required)

What would break her/his heart?:

Fears:

What's their idea of a good time?:


	2. I'm Here to Help

**I'm Here to Help**

Summary: Lily, being rather new to the beyblade scene, has once again not qualified for another tournament. Saddened by her lack of strength and skill to move forward, she considers giving up for good. Thankfully, she has a certain friend who's always willing to help. (Friendship/humor)

The rapid knocking on her door seemed to cause a surge of anxiety in Lily. It had already been an awful day and she certainly wasn't in the mood for visitors at the moment. The lavender haired sixteen year old girl pushed herself up from the sofa, a bit reluctant to move out of the comfortable position she'd sunk into not long ago after getting home from a long day of beyblattling. "I'm coming." She spoke, though not loud enough for whoever was banging at her door to hear. She had feeling who it was, either her sister, or one of their friends. Though she supposed there was a chance someone else could be behind the never knocking on this rainy evening. Lily sighed, pulling the door open to feel the cool breeze outside accompanied by large droplets of water raining from the sky. A familiar mess of raven locks could be seen as the young man standing before was hunched over slightly, hands on his knees and trying to catch his breath.

"I'm here to help! I ran all the way here when I heard." He panted, looking up up with blue-green eyes to the youngest of his friend group. "I heard about what happened during the qualifying rounds today." Oliver could hear Lily groan and bang her head lightly on the door frame.

"I don't want to think about that, it was so embarrassing." Oliver chuckled, standing up straight to show he had a good few inches on Lily.

"Your sister said it wasn't that bad."

"Maybe to her it wasn't, but I don't think I've suffered a defeat like that in, well, forever." Lily stepped aside, letting a soaking wet Oliver step inside and shed his jacket. "And it happened in the qualifying round, not even the actual tournament!" She huffed, leaving momentarily to grab a towel from the hall closet for the seventeen year old male. They moved to the living room, where the movie Lily had been watching continued to play. Oliver claimed a seat on the arm chair, Lily on the sofa with her blanket and bowl of popcorn still waiting for her return. "I take it you came to cheer me up?"

Oliver nodded, dumping the contents of the grocery bag he'd been holding onto the coffee table to reveal an array of junk food and sweets. "I also brought my cats." He grinned, pulling up the carrier of sit in his lap rather than the floor. Lily had failed to notice the carrier earlier and was a bit caught off guard when he revealed it.

"Why-"

"Cat's make everything better. Why do you think I have two of them?" The pale male unzipped the carrier, allowing for two furry heads to poke out curiously. "They're a little damp since I ran through the ran with them, but they'll be fine." Oliver stood up, pulling the short furred brown on out. "This is brownie." He smiled, dropping the animal by Lily's feet. Oliver was known to be a bit of a fanatic when it came to his pets, despite being rather lazy and lax about things he always seemed to have something new to tell or show the others involving his cats. Unfortunately for Lily, she was more of a dog person. "And this fella is Catzilla." The cat was rather large and very fluffy with long black fur and amber eyes.

"Catzilla?"

"Don't judge my choice of cat names." Lily rolled her eyes, unappreciative of the pun, only to feel the weight of the large cat in her lap as he seemed to of decided to rest there. A few moments of silence passed before Oliver spoke again. "See? Don't they just make you feel better and melt away whatever worries you have?"

"All I can think about is all the cat fur I'm going to be cleaning up when you leave."

"So unappreciative." Oliver joked, leading them into awkward silence. Lily had gone back to watching the t.v screen mindlessly, both cats still nuzzled up to her. She hated to admit it, but having these little warm balls of fuzz cuddling against her did make her feel fairly better.

"I know you're upset about not making it into the tournament with Emily and Jasper."

"You're participating in it as well." She reminded him with a sigh. "I never make it in." She added quietly.

"That's not true, what about last year in-"

"No."

"What about when we all were-"

"Nope."

"The one in-"

"Only Jasper made it into that one."

"Oh...well, there's always next time!"

"I know that, but no matter how hard I train and how often I try, I never make it in!" She groaned in frustration. "It's clear I'm not cut out to be a blader, I don't know why I let you guys talk me into getting into it. Lily pulled the blanket over her head, hiding from the world and Oliver.

"Don't tell me you're giving up."

"I might as well." Oliver, despite knowing how Lily could be at time, stood up. The girl was definitely good at letting things like this get into her head and hinder her ambition and drive to go forward, call it a huge flaw, but Oliver also knew the potential she had. Lily definitely wasn't the strongest like himself, or had the stamina and enthusiasm like their friend Jasper. And she certainly didn't have the amount of spirit like her older sister Emily when it came to things like this, but Oliver knew, like any other blader around, she had to have that special quality that made her unique among others.

"No you're not, I won't let you just give up!" Oliver stood, prompting Lily to pull the blanket down enough to peek out at him with a pair of azure eyes. "I came here to help you feel better, not let you quit." Oliver spoke again, dropping his stern tone to take one a more encouraging one. "Listen, I won't lie, you're not the best when it come to beyblade, but you certainly have something about you that is worth noticing."

"Thanks?" She responded, not sure if she should take that as a compliment or not.

"Look" Oliver pulled his own bey out to present to her, in response Lily did the same, holding her own Earth Cerva out to compare to Oliver's. Lily had always admired the sleek and dark colored bey that was Oliver's Midnight Ursus. "When I battle, I use and rely on a lot of brute force to get me through. But your Cerva wasn't made that way, you have remarkable balance, but not much going for you in terms of strength. I'm sure i look quite sloppy when I do battle, but Cerva and you look rather graceful out there."

"Thanks, but I don't being graceful is going to get me anywhere." Lily ran a thumb over the pale green of Cerva.

"Not if you're not using Cerva correctly. There's a strategy out there for you,you just have to find and hone in on!"

"Thanks for the encouragement Oliver, but-"

"No more buts Lily! No more excuses, you just gotta get out there and do it without thinking. Like me." Oliver grinned, "I'll even help you, every day we'll train together. You may be new to blading, but I'm gonna make you look like you've been doing for years in now time."

Lily smiled. "Thanks, that's really kind of you, but you don't have too. It's a lot of work, but I'm sre with your encouragement I can do it."

Oliver shook his head, "no, I'm your friend Lily, I'm here to help you. It's what I'm here for, so you're not going to talk me out of this." Oliver grinned, "I'm so pumped to help you, this is so great!"

Lily laughed, watching the other go on to talk about all the new idea's coming to mind. She smiled, thankful for him coming over to give her the pep talk she needed. Though, with everything the raven haired boy was saying at the moment, she couldn't help but think about what she'd just gotten dragged into. Despite this, this was glad that there was someone out there willing to help.

 **Well, here's a little something with my own OCs. I have a few other chapters started with some of your guy's OCs and some with more canon characters. Of these, I think two of them are AU's. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed and see you all the next time I update.**


	3. Lame Pickup Lines

**Lame Pickup Lines**

Summary: Everyday Kirron stops by the coffee shop for his little cup of joy to make it through the morning, but everyday a certain Barista seems to be the one serving him. She's annoying, gets his name wrong every time, leaves terrible pickup lines of him, and really doesn't seem to be able to take a hint, but Kirron wouldn't have it any other way.

When Kirron stepped into the coffee shop located not far from his apartment he was immediately greeted with the pleasant scent of coffee beans and baked goods. The white haired young man looked around as he walked up to the counter, the shop was rather empty as it had only opened a ten minutes or so again. Kirron was always here early to avoid the lines that built up in the morning rush as everyone waited for their little cup of joy before heading to work. Kirron was the same, wishing for a cup before heading to train at the dojo a few blocks away. His dark lavender eyes settled on the female only a year younger awaiting at the register. He only sighed to himself, wondering what the sandy blonde female had in store for him today.

"Morning Emily." He mumbled still rather sleepy.

"Morning my good sir! What can I get you today? The usual I presume?"

"Mhm" he hummed, pulling his wallet out to count the money he needed to pay. Emily grinned, leaving him to begin to get his order ready. It was no secret to anyone at this point that Emily had a think for the daily customer, especially since she intentionally made sure she was working resister around the time he normally came in. Of course, with her usual bold and not so subtle flirting tactics, Kirron new all too well of the girls attraction. He had the give her props though, he'd never had someone so forward yet so lame drop hints like she did.

Emily had finished with Kirron's coffee and he payed as usual. Emily retuned, with his coffee and muffin. Kirron took his coffee and muffin in hand after paying, leaving soon after to finish his small breakfast while on his way to the Dojo. Emily's azure gaze followed him out, a hint of disappointment in them as she realized hadn't noticed the scribble of her hand writing on the napkin she'd handed him along with the blueberry filled baked good. She huffed, leaning on the counter with a small pout. "I'll get you next time." She muttered to herself.

Thankfully for her the message she'd left had not gone unnoticed to the pale boy. He sighed slightly upon reading the sentence. "I find you appealing." He read silently to himself, his eyes settling of the doodle of a banana. "This doesn't even make sense? Why did she pick this one?"

The next week was spent the same way. Emily would leave some lame pickup line on Kirron's coffee or napkin, leaving him to either cringe slightly at the lameness that was her pickup line or rolling his eyes at the cuteness some were. This little game Emily had begun to play with him had stated months ago, but still she never outwardly asked or said anything to him. He supposed she liked messing around like this than pursuing her other options, of course, he didn't mind this either.

Monday rolled around rather quickly and again Kirron found himself waiting for his usual coffee. "Yesterday I got my name wrong." He mentioned as he counted his change.

"Did I now?"

"Unless my name is Karen, then yes you did."

"I get them wrong on purpose you know." Emily replied. "You looked, like everyone else, looked so bothered the first time I misspelt it that it's too much fun not too."

"You're terrible."

"And you're hot." Kirron smirked with a small laugh as Emily caught herself at the end, she turned with an embarrassed red spreading across her face. It had slipped out so casually, and she was left to try and cover it up. "Haha, I mean this coffee is pretty hot, so be careful!" She laughed, handing him the cup and presenting to him the note scribbled on the napkin as always. Except this time Kirron didn't leave right away. Instead he set the coffee down, unfolding the napkin and reading aloud what she'd left written in sharpie.

"H-hey you're supposed to leave and then read it!"

"I might as well call you google because you have everything I'm looking for." He stated, "It's so lame, I hesitate to call it cute." He commented, looking up to see a slightly displeased Emily, who was a bit mad that he'd broken their little routine.

"Everyday you write a lame pickup line on my napkin." He observed, watching her roll her eyes slightly.

"So?"

"Why don't you write something else to give to me?" Kirron watched the blonde with a slightly mischievous glare.

"Uh, like what?" Emily questioned apprehensively.

"Your number." The young man grinned. Emily's eyes widened a bit, the embarrassed flush now replaced the tint of a blush on her cheeks.

And So, Kirron left that morning with the young barista's number, leaving the future opened up for something interesting to come. Who know's? Maybe after a date of two they'd end up together? Of course, even if that were true, Emily wouldn't stop leaving her lame pickup lines for him every morning.

 **And another short something. I had a lot of fun writing this one actually! It's slightly inspired by a little something my best friend and I do, we leave lame pickup lines for each other and get a kick out of just some of the ones we find to swap back and forth. Anyways, I don't normally write romance kind of stuff? So, i'm hoping this came out well?**

 **Kirron belongs to Charmpanda, thanks for sending him in!**


	4. Leave

**Leave**

Summary: Sometimes you fight with the ones you love most, and in many cases you need to fight to work things out. Then there are the times things don't work out. You both say something you wish you could take back, but can't. Sometimes these little phrases can end everything and ruin something once good, and it's not easy to let go, but sometimes it's the only thing you can do. Despite how much it may hurt. (Hurt/maybe Angst.)

"Just Leave."

The words had left her lips so fast that she hadn't even had enough time to think them over. Emily immediately shut her mouth, azure eyes settling on the new look on the snow haired teens face in front of her. She wondered, would he take it to heart? She also wondered if she had really meant it. He'd grown quite, his usual argumentative nature falling short at those two simple words.

 _Leave?_ Kirron thought. He could see the red in her face, her cheeks puffed out slightly as she breathed deeply, and her sandy hair was frazzled slightly. These were things he hardly saw in her. Maybe he'd gone too far this time, forcing her to drop her usual cool and kind exterior to bring about anger he saw in her eyes at the moment. He took a deep breath, calming the nerves flaring up inside of him as he was now uncertain of what would happen next. He ran a hand through his thick head of hair, "do you want me too?" He asked, his tone serious, and lavender eyes watching her next movement carefully.

Emily watched him back. "Yes." She stated, eyes burning. He heart leapt, why had she said that? Her heart beat faster, she could almost hear it. It was as if the beating organ was begged her brain to shut up and let it do the talking once again, block off better judgement and let her fill the air with apologies like a chorus of voices. But she didn't, she made the decision to bite back her speech and just watch him. This would likely a choice that would leave room for her to wonder, "what if?", for the rest of her life.

"Okay." He breathed, turning to the side to look away from her, but failing as he glanced back to her quickly from the corner of his eye. She was twirling a strand of sandy blonde hair between her fingers, something he knew was an act of nervous.

It all seemed to insignificant now. What they had been fighting about seemed so trivial in his eyes now. Even though they had been fighting just minutes ago, it seemed like hours to him. The moment she uttered that simple phrase had made time seem to go slower for him, making the long bouts of silence feel like forever. Since that little phrase had been hung in the air he'd begun to fight with himself, does he leave? Does he stay and make her talk to him? It had all been a misunderstanding as Emily had told him, she didn't like Jasper in that way, no matter how strongly the other male appeared to come onto her.

Kirron didn't want to leave, it was as simple as that. He never gave up like this, he wouldn't now, but something about the tone in the young woman's voice had told him otherwise. The way she'd said those two words, in a tone that almost made it sound like she was begging him to just go. So, against his better judgement and pride, he turned to walk away, his boots padding against the hard wood of the dining room. He sister was shut up in her room still, he wondered what Emily would tell her once he was gone.

Emily had completely turned away from him to avoid speaking out to him. Her eyes burned with wetness, wondering why exactly she had let those words slip out. She sniffled, shouldered slumping down as the tears pooling in her eyes slipped down her face. She'd never experienced something like this before, she wondered if this would turn out permanent. She was so unsure of what would happen next it made her stomach turn into knots and made her feel sick. She heard the door close from the other room, making her flinch slightly with still watering eyes.

She didn't budge from her spot, and Kirron didn't stop from walking away from the now quiet home. They both had a new feeling sitting in the stomachs that neither would think they'd experience while with each other. Emily wasn't sure if she'd done the right thing, neither was Kirron, but they both seemed to share a similar thought as the scene grew to an end

Kirron continued to walk in the opposite direction of where Emily seemed to be stuck standing with her thoughts. "Please don't let this be the end." They both silently pleaded.

 **I wasn't planning on posting two chapter with the same characters, but I was inspired and this happened unexpectedly. I was feeling in the mood for something like this so I wrote a quick rough draft and got to work. Hope you guys enjoyed, I'll get to all the OCs eventually as idea's for them come along. Kirron belongs to Charmpanda, I've become very fond of your OC!**


	5. Incurable

**Incurable**

Summary: Toby has been sick since childhood. His whole life nothing but hospital beds and a mix of medicines. For years doctors haven't been able to help him, but now there seems to be a bright solution on the horizon for Toby. A new treatment has been suggested that could begin the start of recovery for toby, but as always there are negatives, one risk in particular leaves Zeo in a state of worry. (Friendship/comfort/tragedy.)

Again, just like everyday, Toby roamed down the long corridors of the hospital. It was routine at this point. Every morning after whatever bland breakfast he'd been given that day his nurse would insist he go up to walk around the building for exercise. Toby didn't have a problem with that though, it was the fact he saw the same things everyday. Colorless walls and tile floors boxed him in, painting that he'd studied in detail for months now mocked him, and the snowy landscape outside sitting below the open blue sky seemed to call out to him. Toby made his rounds around the floors as always, now heading back to his own room before Zeo showed up for a visit. Toby slowly walked past the set of large windows, catching the glittering sight of December snow sprinkling across the pavement. He sighed a bit, he wasn't strong enough to go out and frolic in the snow like he had as a child. His lavender gaze catching his own appearance reflecting back at him.

He looked sick. Sick and pale, as scrawny as ever. He'd always been skinny, but now with the sick flush in his pale skin it just made him look even worse. He looked tired, sleeping in a hospital bed wasn't his favorite thing at all. Looked down at the pale blue of the pajamas he wore, he'd grown the hate the color. He drug a hand through his tan-brown locks and turned to continue down the hall. He gripped the IV next to him as he walked alongside the thing that was supplying him with whatever nutrients were missing. He didn't like having it as well. Besides having to push it around with him when he went anywhere, but he couldn't count how many times he'd accidently pulled it out while tossing so much in his sleep. That and he had an ugly purple bruise on his forearm where they'd stuck the last one.

Yes, Toby was over the hospital life. Over not being able to go outside and have fun with his friends. Over being caged in a room and forced to just wait. He knew he wasn't doing well and he wished they would all stop trying to make it seem like he wasn't. How out of character, he'd tell himself, his normal optimism discarded as he grew more and more un-hopeful each day. But he wasn't always like this, in a state of mood where he just wanted things to be done with. When Zeo came around, it made him happy. It made Toby want to hurry up and get back to his room and await his best friends arrival. Zeo was so hopeful that it lifted up Toby's wavering moods.

Toby smiled as he felt someone's hand on his arm. Turning, he knew exactly who it was. "Zeo" he smiled, watching as his longtime friend shifted his bad to his other shoulder and took Toby's arm to help him.

"Come on, let's get back to your room, so we can talk for a bit."

The boys made it not long after, Toby hopping back into the bed and Zeo dropping his things by the chair next to the bed and taking a seat. Toby sat, his legs dangling off the edge of the bed. "How are you doing?" Zeo questioned, that was always the first thing he asked.

"The same as the past week." Toby stated, pushing the subject out of the way. "How have things been going? At school?"

"We're on Christmas break now." Zeo stated, "but things have to usual. Masamune just left the other day for his trip to Japan." His voice had a slight bitter edge in it.

"Come one Zeo, I don't mind that Masamune's gone on his trip. It's not a problem really."

"I know, I know." Zeo huffed, "anyways, Christmas is almost here!" He sung excitedly. "And since I won't be able to make it Christmas day to see you I brought your gift early." Zeo grinned, holding up the squishy gift wrapped in blue metallic paper.

"Well, give it here!" He spoke in a fake demanding tone. "Really though, you didn't have to get me anything."

"Nonsense. I always get you something." Zeo watched as Toby placed the gift in his lap, looking down at it for a long moment before tearing into the paper. After discarding the paper to the side Toby lifted the article of clothing up to view it. It was a navy blue knit sweater with holiday prints decorating it. "Since you say you always get so cold here…" Zeo rubbed the back of his neck a bit sheepishly. "A mistake, wasn't it?"

"No!" Toby laughed, "I appreciate it Zeo, thanks!" Toby moved, pulled the sweater over his head. "I like ugly Christmas sweaters."

"I never said it was ugly-" As Toby bust into a small fit of laughter Zeo looked up as the door was pushed open to reveal the doctor stepping it. Toby's laughter died down when he noticed the older man as well, turning he said,

"Hey doc, I didn't know you'd be by so soon." He observed, "do you need something from me?"

"No today Toby, I've just come to speak with you about a new treatment."

"Another new one?" He questioned, earning a nod from the doctor. "Just let me explain a bit more about it before you make any decisions."

Both Zeo and Toby listened as the doctor went onto his detailed explanation of what Toby were to be going through if he choose to go forward with the treatment plan. He spoke about a few new medications and a new diet for Toby, eventually hitting the point of the series of surgeries that he'd would have to undergo in order to get him on the path to recovery. The positives seemed to outweigh the negatives for a moment there, and Zeo was feeling good about what was about to happen to his friends. Whatever got Toby cured and able to live his life again, Zeo was on board with, but something came up that made Zeo's opinions turn around.

"Unfortunately going through with this first few surgeries could be life threatening for you Toby. don't expect any form of an answer right now, I'll leave you to think and speak things over as you need too, but we would like to begin as soon as possible."

Toby nodded. He had remained quiet throughout most of the older man's speaking, as Zeo had, but once the door was closed and Zeo jumped up. "I can't believe he'd think you want to take on something so dangerous-"

"I want to do it Zeo." Toby stated quietly and calmly, catching Zeo off guard.

"Wh- what?"

"I want to give it a shot."

"You haven't even thought it over Toby! You could die on the-"

"I'm already dying!"

Zeo's eyes widened. "Don't say that, you're going to get better in time."

"How much more time Zeo? I don't want to sit here and just waste my life away!" Toby sighed, "I've been in and out of the hospital for years Zeo, I make no progress to getting better, and lately it just feels like I'm getting worse. I want to do this, I want to at least try something instead of just waiting.

"Don't do this to me." Zeo spoke desperately, "you don't have to risk your life for this, if you just hanging in here I know you'll get better."

"I'm doing this for me Zeo." Toby sighed, "can I please have sometime alone?"

Zeo collected his things without another word and left.

The next time Zeo returned was a few days later after hearing that Toby would be heading into surgery that morning. Zeo made sure to get there early. He stood waiting restlessly. Pacing in short strides outside of Toby room waiting for him to be moved. He drug a hand through his slightly frazzled hair and replaying everything Toby and the doctor had said to him. He knew this is what Toby wanted, that it could get him the help needed, but he couldn't get the thought of his best friend's life giving away while lying there. He felt a nervous twist flipping around in his stomach, making his breathing a bit uneven. He jumped slightly, catching sight of Toby being wheeled out in a wheelchair to be taken to the room his surgery would be performed. "Wait." Toby spoke before he was pushed passed Zeo. "Zeo...I know there a chance I may not make it, and I'm ready for whatever is in store for me. I just need to know that you're ready as well."

Zeo was silent for what felt like hours to Toby. "I don't think I'll ever be ready." Zeo stated. "You're my best friend Toby, you're like my brother and I don't want to even think about you- you passing."

Toby smiled a bit sadly. "I know you don't, but I just want you to know that if something does happen...I just want to move on. If something happens and they want to stick all these tubes down my throat just to keep me going then I don't want that, because I think I've ready to go for a while now. I don't what could be waiting for me on the other side, but it has to be better than that, right?" Zeo felt his chest grow heavy just hearing Toby say that. He took hold to Toby's hand. It felt bonier than normal, it felt frail in his own grip.

"Have I really been that shellfish?" He choked out, "I never knew you felt like this or I- I just wanted you to get better so bad that I stopped thinking about anything else that could've happened to you."

"Be quite" Toby mumbled, leaning up to pull Zeo into a hug. "Come one cheer up. I honestly feel like i'm in control of my life, even if it's just for a moment."

Zeo squeezed his eyes shut, "I'm glad." He managed to get out. "Be strong in there. For me."

The boys broke apart, Toby now leaving Zeo in the halls. He looked back at Zeo, his eyes closed with his usual kind smile gracing his features before the doors closed between them.

That was the last Zeo saw of him.

The next day Zeo returned, having heard the news of how Toby's treatment hadn't been successful. He wandered the halls slowly, almost dreading the moment when he'd have to steep in the old room Toby had been staying in. The clearly grieving male finally stopped in the doorway, no longer greeted by his friends welcoming grin. He inhaled deeply. He couldn't wrap his head around the idea that a new patient would be taking over this room in just hours. He could barely wrap his mind around the fact that he was gone for good.

" _Even if it's a long shot I want to go through with it. I just don't want to be sick anymore."_

Zeo's grip briefly clutched the door frame before he forced himself to step in. his gaze drifted around the squeaky clear room no longer occupied with Toby's things. One thing remained though. He walked up to the newly made bed, the navy of the toby's sweater sticking out against the white covers. He blinked rapidly a few times, trying to shake off the sadness building heavier in his chest.

" _I don't want you to regret anything Zeo, I don't. I don't want you to stop your entire life for me, i want you to go on to do all the great things we talked about doing together!"_

Zeo's hand moved to cover his mouth as he felt the tears in his eyes overflow and send rivers down his cheeks. He clutched the sweater with a slightly trembling frame and turned to get out of there as quickly as he could.

"I wish you'd been offered more options to get better." He spoke to himself, not really even to himself, more to Toby, who he knew would be looking down at him at this time. "I wish you hadn't even gotten sick, or been sick for so long. That you could've lived a fuller and more ideal life rather than waste away in hospital rooms." He rushed to get home, to be in private where he could really just let it all out. The tears in his eyes blurred his vision a bit as he pushed his way through the busy streets of New York. _I wish I could've had more time with you...you deserved more time for life._

Zeo stopped, the cold nipping at his exposed skin and sending shivers throughout his body. With a small smile and tears still bubbling in his eyes and descending down his cheeks he said one more thing. "At least…" He seemed to be trying to get his grief ridden and hysterical thoughts in order, "at least you're in a better place...right?" His gaze turned up to gray-blue sky with a hopeful shine in his eyes.

 **Kind of inspired by a G** **rey's Anatomy marathon and a few other things. I don't much to say besides I hop you enjoyed.**


	6. Night at the Fair

**Keily belongs to Charmpanda. This is just something short and cute I wanted to do. The next two chapters will likely feature two OCs I haven't written with yet in the story, so keep an eye out for that. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy.**

Keily grinned as she held the hand of the male next to her. Oliver responded with a small smile of his own as he walked the girl away from the ticket booths. The fair was in town, and keily had been pretty excited to go. Her excitement had been matched with Oliver as soon as the raven haired boy heard of the promise of a night away from homework and volunteering. Keily looked around the crowds of friends and family hanging around the brightly lit and noisy scene of the fairground. She could hear music playing from somewhere in the distance, lights from all the attractions and booths flashed in different colors and patterns. The curls of her light lavender hair blew slightly in the somewhat chilly breeze.

"What do you want to do?" Oliver questioned the smaller girl as he pulled his hand away to stretch.

Keily hummed, not quite sure what she wanted to do first. She turned to ask the other pair she and Oliver had come with, but only found that they had gone off to do their own thing. "Well, I was going to ask Kirron and Emily, but it seems they've left us."

"Emily probably dragged him off after seeing something she wanted to do. That's okay though, because it can just be me and you. What do you want to do first?"

"I'm not sure really. Let's just walk around for a bit and do whatever seems fun? I do want to ride the Ferris wheel before the night ends though."

"Of course. We can't go to a fair and not ride the Ferris wheel." Oliver agreed.

The pair walked around for awhile trying to decide what they wanted to do first. Keily was still a bit unsure of what to pick, but the moment she heard the excited quest leaver Oliver's throat and his eyes light up she knew exactly what the young male had spotted. "They have a petting zoo!"

Keily chuckled at his excitement, taking his arm and gently pulling him toward the pens. "Then let's go see the animals!" Oliver paid the fee to get in, practically shoving the money into the man's face before going in. once inside they were faced with an area full of pens, keeping the animals separated. Goats, pigs, sheep, a pony or two, and a few other species were present. Oliver, being the lover of animals he was, was absolutely giddy. Keily laughed at her boyfriend's behavior, his normal relaxed and somewhat sleepy demeter replaced with an almost childlike excitement. She left his side, moving to look over the fluff that was the sheep. Oliver bee-lined for the ponies drinking from the water provided for them.

"Oh, I love you…" Oliver spoke, running a hand over the brown ponies fur. "I feel bad that you're stuck in this pen, but I love you." Keily laughed to herself, hearing the awe form the where the other was. Oliver had always been torn when it came to things like these. On one hand he adored being able to interact with the animal, but at the same time he wished they were free. Though, with how good of a condition the animals seemed to be in he felt slightly better about it. Though if he were to find something alarming he wouldn't have any hesitation in reporting it.

Keily left the sheep after devoting a large amount of attention to them. Oliver left the ponies as well, reluctantly, since there had been younger children awaiting for him to stop having them.

"Oh my- oliver you really shouldn't-"

"They have ducks!" He excitedly gushed over them. "Look at him!" Oliver had dared to pick one of the white feathered ducks up, cradling it in his arms, a bad idea in keily's mind. "Remember the ducks we got to watch over at the shelter last month?" He asked, watching as the duck flapped its way from his arms.

Keily smiled at the memory. "I remember on of the ducklings biting you." Oliver's cheeks tinted red, a small grin gracing his features.

"Let's just look at the goats now." he laughed it off, taking hold of the girls hand to pull her gently to walk with him to one of the last pens. This one was larger, and populated by goats prancing around either playing with each other or eating without a care in a world. Smaller baby goats were the first to greet the pair at the gate with little baa's and such.

Oliver no doubt had the most fun feeding the goats. Keily hang back for a bit at first, getting an array of pictures of a grinning Oliver and goats eagerly taking the food right from him. Eventually Keily joined in as well. The couple laughed, petting and playing with the group of goats along with a few other children and their parents who'd joined them.

Keily covered her mouth, laughing a bit as she watched Oliver worriedly watch as the playful animals crowded around him. "Oh.. I uh, don't have anymore food for you, so you can just leave...please?" But these goats were still looking for the food the young male had originally been supplying them, leaving Oliver with a group of goats to block his way and occasionally try to pull the empty bag that once contained feed from his hands. Oliver quickly dove into tug of war with one of the furry brown goats who'd taken hold of his pant leg. Keily giggled once more, but came to his aid, shooing them away.

"I wouldn't say I regret seeing those animals, but…" Oliver gestured to the new chewing hold at the bottom of his sweatshirt, "that really will eat anything." He pouted, looking to Keily as they walked through the grounds. "Hey, you had fun right?" He questioned, "I think I spent most of the time gushing over animals than anything else."

"Of course I did Oliver." Keily smiled, "spending time with you is always fun. Though, next time I suggest we skip the goats."

"You're probably right" Oliver chuckled, reaching to pick a stray piece of straw from his raven locks. Keily linked arms with him.

"You lock exhausted" she remarked, "ready to call it a night and head home?"

"I always look tired, and we can't leave yet." Oliver directed her attention to the side to gaze up at the shining lights of the Ferris wheel not too far away. "Like I said. We can't go to the fair and now ride the Ferris wheel."

By the time they reached the top of the Ferris wheel Keily felt like she could see the whole fair ground. The bright flashing lights flashed in the dark, she could still hear the faint sound of music and fair music playing from outside, and the people below looked so small to her as she scattered around the place. Keily was sitting down in the car of the Ferris wheel gazing out the window quietly. Oliver was standing a bit in front of her, leaning against the railing in front of the window with his head leaning in his hand. No doubt did he look sleepy, with tired turquoise eyes watching the fireworks begin to explode and sparkle through the night sky. Keily could still spot a piece of hay in his messy hair.

Keily stood up, now immersed with watching the fireworks in the sky. She leaned next to Oliver, prompting him to glance at her. "I didn't know the fair was doing firework tonight. " She mentioned, "They're pretty."

Oliver hummed in agreement, though he'd stopped looking at the sky completely by now. He was watching Keily. her soft lavender locks were still a bit frazzled form their adventure in the petting zoo earlier, and the different colors form the fireworks faintly reflected in her eyes. Oliver could instantly feel his face grow a little warmer after realizing that he'd been staring at her for so long. Keily looked over to him just in time to feel a quick kiss brush against her cheek. She smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder, only to have him lean against her a bit of a half cuddle as the night drew to an end.


	7. Nightmares

Summary: Everyone has nightmares. They often reflect the things that scare or worry us most in life. Often times we can just brush them off, but sometimes it seems that they overstay their welcome.

A sharp gasp filled the silence of the bedroom as Lucas seemed to bolt into a sitting position. The teenage boy's breathing was heavy and a new layer of sweat pressed his ginger brown hair to his forehead and his neck. Lucas McKandles now sat wide awake in the dark of his room. The clock read half past five in the morning as Lucas checked it. He exhaled deeply and brushed the hair from his face. His breathing faded to a normal pace as Lucas reached to switch the lamp on his bedside table on. A new dim light filled the bedroom and Lucas finally managed to calm his racing heart down.

It had happened again. He'd been awoken so abruptly by yet another nightmare. Honestly, Lucas had thought he'd gotten over them, especially since he'd gone so long without them burdening his sleep. He only hoped that he hadn't been talking in his sleep, and if he had been he hoped that it hadn't been loud enough to wake his older brother. He felt that he didn't need Wales rushing into his room to comfort him. He knew that Wales would want to talk about what had happened in his nightmare, and he really didn't want to relive the experience by explaining it. Besides, it was the same as the old ones he used to have, so Wales would've already had an idea. Though, he also knew that he should talk to someone about it and not allow it to sit and eat at his mind all day.

Lucas sighed, hitting the bed with a small thump as he allowed himself to fall back into the covers. He had no intention of going back to sleep, but he also didn't want to get out of his bed and leave his bedroom. Then again, he also knew that if he didn't get up to find something to distract himself with then he'd end up laying here and thinking about it. He wondered what had brought up these unpleasant dreams, as he'd gone almost a full month without them. Then it struck him, the photo.

Lucas had spent the previous day up in the attic of his home searching through boxes of old family photos. He had some dumb project to do in one of his classes, and honestly he really hadn't wanted to do it at all. But, he couldn't just takes a failing grade on it so he reluctantly began to do some last minute work on it. He had needed a photo of himself as a child, and he knew they were all packed away. He had already knew which one he wanted. It was a little photo of he and Wales a few years back. It was just of the two brothers, no mother or father present, which was exactly what he wanted. So, he went digging through old photo albums that he knew wales had kept packed away. As he searched he came across a rather surprising photo of his father. He had sworn that they'd gotten rid of whatever photos there was of the man, but apparently one had slipped through, hidden in a stack of photos. Needless to say Lucas had felt like he could've gotten sick on the spot. He'd left the photo torn up and in the trash when he went back downstairs, and he hadn't spoken a word about it to Wales.

His father, Caspian Mckandless, was an unspoken subject in the brothers home. The former war vets name seemed to never be spoken by either of them, and Lucas liked it that war. Unfortunately like many in the line of service he'd dealt with PTSD for so long, eventually turning to alcohol. After his wife left him and her sons Caspian lashed his anger out on them instead. Lucas supposed that the photo had brought up those unpleasant memories and caused the nightmare. Eventually as six AM grew closer Lucas rolled out of bed at the sound of Wales footsteps creaking down the hall. He collected his things, deciding that a quick shower would help him recollect his thoughts.

Lucas had begun to feel better after that, now out of the shower and dressed, he was attempting to just dry his hair a bit more before heading to the kitchen. With the towel draped over his head he looked into the mirror, his eyes catching the mark just above his eye. Tracing over the old burn scar he watched himself in the foggy mirror, he gaze landing right on the scar as his fingers moved away to reveal it again. Lucas let out an aggravated sigh and turned away to finish drying his hair and leave.

After that Lucas trotted down the stairs with a small yawn, dressed and ready to do what the day had in store for him. Stepping into the kitchen he found Wales stirring his coffee at the counter. He heard his older brothers voice greet him with a good morning, but he didn't respond as he leaned against the counter not far from Wales. Despite hearing Wales voice in the back of his mind Lucas' light, almost white, colored eyes had focused on the small speck of dust he could see floating in the early morning night gently beaming in from the window. He subconsciously blocked Wales out, his own thoughts speaking louder.

It was never something that he liked to think about. Reliving these memories in his sleep always sent a bolt of mixed emotions into his being. If he had his way, then he'd never have to think about his father again, but as fate would have it, he just couldn't seem to make these burdens disappear and leave him be. Wales seemed to notice the change in attitude as well. Even if Lucas was good at staying unreadable, Wales always seemed to catch the little changes in him. Call it a big brother intuition, but Wales looked at Lucas with concerned eyes, wonder what could be bothering the younger. Looking down at the steam drifting from his coffee, the Grand Cetus blader seemed to already have an idea of what was up.

Wales sighed silently to himself, knowing that getting Lucas to sit down with him and speak about this could be a bigger challenge that it seemed. "Lucas, why don't we go sit the living room and speak for a minute." H proposed the idea, setting down the glass and turning to catch Lucas' attention. Lucas gave him a stubborn look. "Now." Wales stepped forward, taking on a tone that let Lucas know that he wasn't in the mood to debate anything. Lucas joined Wales side on the sofa, situation himself. "There's something bothering you, I can tell."

Wales gaze softened on Lucas as the other continued to sit in silence. His head was lowered slightly, causing his ginger brown hair to fall over his face slightly as his eyes remained fixed on his hands that were in his lap. He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't even want to acknowledge it. But he knew Wales well enough to know that he very much wants to talk about it, and he also know that Wales wouldn't just let him off the hook. Closing his eyes he listened as Wales asked again he felt those closed off emotions spill over. So, he sat there, the warmth of tears building in his eyes as he opened his mouth to speak. Wales listened intently as the younger retold every detail from his recent nightmares, as long with all the thoughts he'd had of their father the past few hours. Lucas found his words hitching slightly in his throat every once in a while as he came to certain details, subconsciously not wanting to give out too much information. After all, in his mind, he didn't want to run the older off. "I still have nightmare. I see him every night." Lucas admitted. "Sometimes when I wake up I think that things will be better, but I can't even find any relief in waking up. All day my mind just creates more problems than solutions to it, because sometimes the thought of him just won't go away." At some point during his talking he'd felt a few stray tears slip slowly from his eyes and down his cheeks.

Wales sat quietly, causing a small bold of anxiety to bolt through Lucas. Did silence mean something bad? Soon he felt wales weight shift closer to him a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders to pull him in closer for a hug. "I saw that picture, the one you turn up the other day." Wales murmured. "I'm sorry. I thought I had gotten rid of them all."

"It's not your fault."

"You know what Lucas?" Wales spoke after a moment of silence. "...I have them too."

"You do?" Lucas managed to get out after a second of surprise.

Wales hummed. "Sometimes." Lucas, who had been a bit stiff in Wales grip at first, had relaxed by now. Lucas took some sort of silent comfort knowing that Wales shared the dreams he had, though it didn't appear to be as frequent as his own. To be honest, he'd never thought of Wales having nightmare of his own. After all, Wales always seemed so serious and tough at times that Lucas' mind hadn't seemed to even think about it. "They used to be so bad when we were younger, but I've made my way to forgetting the past and I know you have as well. Just know that I'm here whenever you're ready to talk or anything. Whatever you want or need I'll help you with, because you're my brother and I care about you. I don't want you to experience these things anymore, so I'll do anything to help you if you let me." Lucas sniffed, having hidden his face in slight embarrassment as he felt the brims of his eyes overflow with warm tears.

"Thank you Wales…" he spoke, "thank you, I care about you as well."

Wales gave a small smile as Lucas rubbed away the tears from the corner of his right eye. "Just remember this; every day is a new beginning. Every sunrise is a new start for you, like a fresh chapter to a book. And just know that I'll always be there, whether you want me to or not, to help you get through writing that chapter." Lucas laughed slightly with a small smile, his hand moving to his other eyes to dry the tears.

"Thank you."

 **This took me weeks to get done. Really it shouldn't have, but I was not feeling writing for a while there. Anyways, Lucas belongs to** **QueensKhioneandFernis** **. Hopefully I did well with you OC and you liked what I wrote for him. I knew I wanted to do something brotherly and this was the first idea to come to mind really. So, hopefully you all enjoyed.**


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